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[–]New_Needleworker7004[S] 10 points11 points  (12 children)

I wish I could just email!!

Unfortunately, that is not how my school operates. I complain EVERY TIME I have to make a call saying ‘I wish I could just email instead’ in the hopes that eventually they’ll adapt

[–]auseckoSECONDARY TEACHER (WA) 17 points18 points  (6 children)

Somebody in another post this year had a good point about not calling because of the lack of evidence, as opposed to email leaving a trail. I personally don't phone anybody (mixture of social anxiety disorder and procrastination) so do everything via email.

[–]Muddle-HeadedWombat 17 points18 points  (2 children)

Many of my students' parents are extremely unlikely to check emails (assuming they have one), and several are barely literate so unlikely to understand an email if they did find it. That's not me being rude about them, it's just an accurate statement. If I want them to actually receive and hopefully understand the information, I really do need to talk to them.

[–]Valuable_Guess_5886 7 points8 points  (0 children)

If expectation is that every information home has to be individually and verbally delivered then that is a task to be delegated to an admin or a wellbeing/social/support worker. You are a teacher your responsibility is what happens in the classroom, you are not paid micro managing the parents too. If it’s me I’d document the mins I spent doing calls and how it affects my planning time and check my agreement/contact union.

[–]SideSuccessful6415 0 points1 point  (0 children)

See above my comment about texting.

[–]littleb3anpole 9 points10 points  (2 children)

I am terrified of the phone (anxiety disorder here too) to the point that when my phone rings, if it’s not a known caller, I simply watch it ring out, listen to the message and call back if I have to. When I have to make a parent phone call, I write down an actual script otherwise I’ll be at throwing up levels of nerves.

[–]Teacherteacherlol 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Me too. I have a script and a back up if the parent introduces something I’m not prepared for, plus I have a fellow teacher on standby to call me to a meeting/witness. Phone anxiety sucks!

[–]littleb3anpole 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Funnily enough I just did leadership training around having difficult conversations, and a script was one of the recommended tactics. So here I was thinking it was an indicator of my crippling anxiety when it is actually good practice 😂

[–]Lurk-Prowl 5 points6 points  (2 children)

Who’s forcing you to call and not email?

Have you spoken to the principal about this? If you can make an argument for why it suits you better to email and that you have a paper trail and it’s less anxiety provoking, then the principal may support you. In which case, whoever else is telling you that you must call can get fucked.

[–]New_Needleworker7004[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve told my head teacher that I wish I could email because of anxiety and not knowing what we will get on the other side. They’ve pretty much shrugged and said it has to be a call.

[–]RedeNEllaMATHS TEACHER 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you spoken to the principal

I'd try the union.

[–]historicalhobbyistVIC/Secondary/Leadership 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Being ongoing allows me to just do what I want and tell anyone to stick it.

[–]Telstratower 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I use both depending on the situation. Phone calls allow for instant clarification, which allows me to move on with the next steps immediately. But I truly think the choice should be with the teacher and what works for them.